Which platforms should a delivery-only concept launch on first?

GrabFood and LINE MAN, since together they cover roughly 90 percent of Thailand's food delivery market.

Should the menu be the same as a dine-in concept's menu would be?

No, it should be designed specifically for what travels and photographs well, and priced with commission built in from the start.

How fast should I expect order volume to grow?

This varies by concept, area, and execution. The early weeks are realistically for learning and adjustment, not immediate full volume.

Is it reasonable to launch on all three major platforms at once?

It is possible, but most delivery-only concepts get more value from executing well on Grab and LINE MAN first, covered in our platform comparison guide.

Launch a Delivery-Only Restaurant in Thailand

Why delivery-only is a different starting point

A restaurant with a physical dining room has walk-in traffic, local visibility, and word of mouth independent of any delivery app. A delivery-only concept has none of that. Every customer arrives through a platform listing, which makes platform choice, listing quality, and pricing the entire foundation of the business from the start, not one channel among several.

Platform priority from day one

Grab and LINE MAN together cover roughly 90 percent of Thailand's food delivery market. For a delivery-only concept with no existing customer base to carry it, launching well on these two platforms matters more than spreading thin across every available option. See our guide comparing Grab, LINE MAN, and ShopeeFood for more detail on this prioritization.

Area	What to decide early
Platform priority	GrabFood and LINE MAN first
Menu design	Built for delivery, not adapted from dine-in
Pricing	Commission factored in from day one
Expectations	Early weeks are for learning, not full volume

What to get right before launch.

The realistic early timeline for a new delivery-only listing

Launch
Listing goes live
No order history yet
Early weeks
Learning period
Fix operational issues, adjust pricing
Ongoing
Volume builds
As history and ratings accumulate

General pattern, not a guaranteed schedule. Actual timing varies by concept, area, and execution.

Get help planning your delivery-only launch

Designing the menu for delivery from the start

A delivery-only menu should be designed around what travels well, what photographs clearly, and what can be prepared consistently at volume, rather than adapted after the fact from a dine-in concept. This also means pricing commission into every item from the first day rather than retrofitting prices later, covered in our delivery menu pricing guide.

Choose dishes that travel and reheat well.
Photograph and describe every item before launch, not after.
Price with commission built in from day one.
Keep the opening menu manageable rather than overly large.

Realistic early expectations

A new listing takes time to build order history, ratings, and visibility on any platform. The first few weeks are realistically a period for learning what is working, fixing operational issues like preparation timing and packaging, and adjusting based on actual order data, not a period where full volume should be expected immediately.

How to Launch a Delivery-Only Restaurant in Thailand

Short answer